Happy Halloween! Hard to believe that the month of October has come to an end. How time flies these days. Today was a good one to gather and share some current information for those who like details. At breakfast this morning, we learned that there are some new crew members on the ship. A total of 22 Thai gals and guys are now employed here. They have jobs in the kitchen, and are included with the wait and bar staff. Having been trained in a school in Thailand, they have arrived with less schooling than the facilities in Indonesia or the Philippines, we were told. So when they arrived here, their instructions have continued as they work. A bit more on the shy side, the assistants in the dining room are currently serving coffee and helping the waiters. Twinkle, the acting Beverage Manager, said she is looking for some Thai food to be cooked in the crew quarters, which she loves. We like it as well, but have been advised that the Tamarind, a Thai-themed meal option, will not happen on this cruise. Too bad.
We found out last night, that the little morning newspapers will eventually be eliminated, and they will be put on the Navigator computer page and phone app. The difference is that these papers may be the full content. This might occur after the dry-docking next May. It is also an attempt to go paperless, as is the rage everywhere else you go.
The only on-the-wall flat TV's that we have seen only exist in the new lanai rooms on deck three. Another addition to the dry-docking will be flat screen TV's in all of the rooms, and they will be interactive, like the ones on the newer ships. We sure do hope this happens, as we really enjoyed this aspect while sailing on the newer Eurodam.
The laundry service has been speedy, with it being returned same day so far. With many 4 and 5 star members, as well as suites and President's Club members on this cruise, that is really nice. Whether the speed lasts, we will see.
It appears that some of the prices have gone up in the specialty restaurants. The Canaletto now costs $19 per person, while the Cellar Master's dinner will be $95 each. The sip and savor sessions with appetizers and one glass of wine has risen to $7. The lowest priced wines by the glass still run $9, without the 15% gratuity. We will research the Pinnacle Grill and Sel de Mer prices tomorrow. Happy hour in the bars in the evening has remained buy one, get the second one for $2. Sure makes a lot of people happy.
There have been many reported glitches with the internet here. Denise and Howie informed us that 22 passengers, including them, were waiting like forever in a line to see the digital communications manager yesterday. When his time was up, he just up and left for a meeting. No apologies. You would think with problems that arise like this, there should be a backup person to help. The internet prices are not cheap either. For a 51 day premium package purchased before the cruise, it ran over $500. Buying it onboard the ship, the price was $630. And now many, if not most people cannot even log on. How do the other cruise lines get it right? And to complicate the situation even further, we had a note informing us that from today to our arrival to Hawaii, we may have limited or diminishing bandwidth. This is normal from what we can remember, so it is a good thing we are being forewarned.
We had an invite to attend a sommelier suite wine tasting at 1pm, with a chance to use our 50% discount on their wine packages. But since we seldom drink wine, we passed on the event.
Halloween decorations were here and there, but mostly in the dining room and the casino. The highlight of the night will be a costume party in the Crow's Nest at 9pm. There will be a best costume prize given to one of the most creative passengers we heard. Many of the staff members donned the witches hats and masks, but they cannot compete.
It was so nice this afternoon on our veranda, we relaxed there instead of going to the pool. The sun did come out, and it has become intense the further southwest we travel. Time to use that sunscreen for sure.
There was another notice sent to the passengers concerning our visit to Fanning Island. Guests like to donate helpful goods to the local community, which is fine, but for those who will not go ashore in the tender boats, these donations can be left at a station on the ship to be taken over to the local representative. Now the funniest thing we read was that items not permitted were any kind of material goods belonging to Holland America. Guess that could be ship towels, robes, beach towels, blankets, etc. Also no food or beverages would be allowed ashore. One thing we recall from past visits is that chocolate room candies or chewing gum is not a good idea to hand out to the kids. There are no dentists on this island we were told. The best way to help these folks in a respectful way is to purchase their clever handicrafts. They really are quite unique and make great gifts.
Dinner was festive in the dining room with carved pumpkins on display. Brought back memories of the veggie and fruit carvings we used to see. That craft is long gone from the HAL ships, we are afraid. The waiters were dressed with an orange vest, while their assistants wore phony axes or saws attached to their heads. Many of the guests had some kind of costume item such as a head dress, mask, or lights flashing on a cap. But the best had to be Tom, our former TA buddy, who had on an orange wig and a painted scary face to match. Kind of like Bozo the Clown. What fun he has as a host. Bet he wins the contest, as he was heading up the crowded elevator to the Crow's Nest around 9pm. Surely, we will hear about it tomorrow.
Jim Short was the comedic entertainer this evening. A very funny guy, we have seen his show many times. And the clocks went back another hour tonight. The crew sure likes that even more than the guests.
Bill & Mary Ann
